Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg

Theobald von Bethmann
Hollweg is most famous as the Chancellor of Germany at the start of World
War One. Bethmann Hollweg was also the politician who sanctioned the use of unrestrictedsubmarine warfare that led to
the entry of America into World War One.

Bethmann Hollweg was born
in 1856 in Hohenfinow, Brandenberg. He studied Law and joined the civil service.
From 1905 to 1907 he served as Prussia's Minister of Interior and took over a
similar role for the whole of Germany in 1907 - a post he held until July 1909
when he was appointed Chancellor of Germany.

Bethmann Hollweg was a
loyal supporter of Wilhelm II and an experienced bureaucrat. However, he found
it difficult to control the admirals and generals who seemed to dominate the
political scene as 1914 drew nearer and nearer. From 1909 to 1913, Bethmann
Hollweg tried to form a diplomatic friendship with Britain. However, he was out
of tune with most other influential politicians in Germany. When it became clear
to Bethmann Hollweg that he had failed in his attempt to pacify Britain, he went
to the opposite extreme and supported a policy for a short sharp localised war
against any nation that opposed Germany and threatened her position within
Europe.

As the war clouds gathered
towards the autumn of 1914, it
became clear to Bethmann Hollweg that the idea of a localised war was not going
to happen and that Europe was swiftly moving to a major continental conflict. He
therefore did a volte face and did all he could to avoid a war that was to all
intents unavoidable by the end of July 1914.

For the first two and a
half years of the war Bethmann Hollweg was able to delay the navy's call for
unrestricted submarine warfare. However, in January 1917
as a result of Germany's increasingly dire military position, Bethmann Hollweg
gave his support for unrestrictedsubmarine warfare - a policy
that was to anger America so much that she joined the war on the side of the
Allies.

In July 1917 Bethmann
Hollweg was forced out of office when both Luderndorff
and Hindenburg threatened to
resign if he did not leave office. Against such a formidable pair, Bethmann
Hollweg had no choice but to hand in his resignation. This left Luderndorff and
Hindenburg in such a powerful position that they ruled as effective dictators.

His fall from grace has led
to some historians labeling him as a weak politician. However, in the climate of
the day, senior military figures in most if not all combatant nations reigned
supreme. That Bethmann Hollweg was cast aside by Luderndorff and Hindenburg in
the summer of 1917 was symptomatic of the power the military had in Germany and
his swift fall from grace can simply be explained by the power the military had
gained at the expense of politicians.